COAST - Luffy x Reader

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

It's finally MC's moment to shine!

Since the roller-rink game is mostly focused on each individual's participation, we'll be exploring a little bit about the reader's strengths here rather than her weaknesses; nothing major, but still something I feel like should start to be included more as her confidence grows in the crew.

I wasn't happy with this chapter at first, but now I think it might be the best that I've written in this arc. Honestly, I don't really love how Foxy Pirates has been going so far, like, in general? It's a lot more difficult to write for than I anticipated, especially when it comes to the inconsistency of readers' emotions, and how easily they flip-flop given her PMS. The Foxy Pirates arc just doesn't feel as well put together to me as Skypiea was?? Though that's the overall vibe that this arc gives off in the anime, anyways... lmk what u think!

Still, this chapter gives me hope... It makes me excited for the upcoming chapters, 39 - 41, because I've got something super fun planned for the finale; once that's done, the loose ends will also be covered in a (hopefully) satisfying manner of private communication... Just wanna let y'all know my plans. I'm a bit anxious that people may lose interest or somethin, since it's been a little rough so far.

In summary: RAHHHHH

Happy reading lol <3

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The long-long kiwi crunched satisfyingly between his jaws as Luffy sat in the grass, staving off his hunger for the umpteenth time throughout the day's events. He watched, bored as Usopp fiddled with each of the crewmates' roller skates, handmade by the sharp shooter. He was ensuring they were in 'tip-top shape' so that nothing could go wrong in the next round. The girls, including you, were in the pop-up locker rooms, preparing for the game. Zoro and Sanji stood stern at the sidelines, occasionally clashing with some half-hearted insults, at each other's throats even after winning the Groggy Ring Fight. It made Luffy laugh, even when nobody else did.

Luffy could feel the anxious smog hovering in the air, antsy to get Chopper back onto their crew. He could see it in their intense facial features and rigid demeanor, but he couldn't share the same sentiment. To him, they already had this next game in the bag, unperturbed by the minimal chance that his crew would ever lose. Granted, he had never actually been roller-skating, but how hard could it be?

Lips smacking over the sweetness of the fruit as his teeth ground against its thick skin, Luffy swallowed down the bite that bulged comically large down his stretchy throat, before immediately delving back in for another. It was weird, because no matter what he had inhaled in the last thirty minutes, the captain couldn't seem to sway the lingering pain that was eating away at his innards; nothing seemed to satiate the feeling.

It wasn't anything severe, just a dull ache that pulsed slowly in the depths of his torso. The worst part was when it rippled up his back every once in a while. Whenever it happened long enough to actually bother him, the only relief Luffy could gain was by doing an awkward, backbending stretch – again, strange, but nothing his flexibility couldn't deal with. The other guys would merely give him the most bewildered glances as he did so, but when Usopp eventually asked what was up, and Luffy explained his discomfort, the sharpshooter seemed to recognize something that the captain did not.

"Dang it, Luffy..." The boy remembered Usopp's concerned frown as he eyed the locker rooms with unease. "You really should've gotten Chopper back last round..."

"Whaddya mean?" Luffy asked curiously, mouth puckered with the sourness of his snack. "I wanted to get Shelly back for that nice old guy, why does it matter who I got first?" He didn't understand what the difference would've been between retrieving Chopper now versus retrieving him then. The whole reason he had chosen Shelly over their doctor was due to the promise that the captain had made to Tonjit, swearing to get her back when all of this started.